Fighting to Be Free

Hell yeah I do. “Mm-hmm,” I mumbled against her neck, biting her gently.

She let out a breathless moan. “Okay, but take your clothes off first. If I have to be in my underwear, then so do you.”

I pulled back immediately, stripping out of my clothes as quickly as possible. Ellie sat up, her eyes trained on my body. I didn’t feel self-conscious around her now. She was definitely telling the truth; she really did like my body, scars and all. I could tell by her face and the honesty in her eyes as she looked me over.

When I was down to my boxers, she stood up. “Sit,” she ordered, pointing to a chair. I sat down obediently, trying to rein in my excitement. She unbuttoned her skirt, pushing it down over her hips and letting it drop to the floor. “Shoes on or off?” she asked, putting one foot on the chair between my legs, lightly brushing across my overexcited crotch.

I wondered if she had done things like this for Miles. He was seriously lucky to have dated her for so long. I envied him, I really did. “Shoes on, definitely,” I chose, looking down at the sexy little black ankle boots. “Those are seriously hot.” I licked my lips as I imagined them digging into the small of my back while she wrapped herself around me.

She grinned teasingly. “Do you have a little shoe fetish, Jamie?”

My eyes raked up her body, taking in every inch of her long, toned legs. “I think I just have an Ellie fetish.”

She smiled, brushing the toe of her shoe across my thigh before she put her leg down on the floor. My arousal spiked immediately. Oh yeah, I’m definitely developing a slight shoe fetish!

Her smile was seductive as she unbuttoned her long shirt painfully slowly, making my breath catch. She turned her back, looking at me over her shoulder as she pushed her shirt down, exposing the creamy skin of her shoulders and back.

I groaned. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea; this teasing was actually making my whole body ache and long to do things to her that would make her moan my name. She dropped her shirt to the floor and I gasped when I caught sight of the spankies she had on. They made her ass look edible. She unclasped her bra, dropping that to the floor, too. Turning back to face me, she sauntered over in just her little red cheer shorts and stiletto ankle boots. I had never seen anything more exquisite and perfect in my life. And based on the excitement that danced in her eyes, she was going to enjoy this as much as I was.

* * *

After an hour of making her breathe my name over and over upstairs, we finally headed downstairs to the raging party. We hadn’t had sex because I just wouldn’t be able to with my ribs, but I had certainly made up for getting in trouble with the hickey.

She had a few more drinks but still wasn’t trashed. Apparently Miles had left with the blonde girl, which I was grateful for, since I didn’t want him to be starting trouble and embarrassing Ellie tonight.

Ellie was so much fun. I watched her dance with her friends, play drinking games, and generally make the party more exciting for everyone. Not once did she look embarrassed that I was with her; she included me in everything that she did and every conversation she had.

At just after one in the morning, she stopped dancing. “Had enough?” she asked, looking at me hopefully.

I nodded. “Sure, if you have.” Actually, I didn’t think I would ever have enough of this night.

“Yeah, I’m all danced out.” Her hand slipped into mine as we wove through the crowd until she spotted Stacey, who was still making out with the brown-haired guy. “Stace, we’re leaving now. See you tomorrow, okay?” Ellie said, hugging her.

“Yeah, I’ll be over around four,” Stacey replied. She turned her attention to me. “Make sure you take my best friend home safely, you hear?” She hugged me, too. I could tell she was drunk by the way she swayed on her feet, leaning on me heavily—that and the fact that her breath was about eighty proof were dead giveaways

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Paul, don’t let her drink any more.”

Stacey smiled sweetly at her friend before slurring, “I’m not having any more. I’m just finishing this one, then moving to orange juice.”

Ellie pointed to the cup Stacey was holding. “This one?” Stacey nodded. Ellie took it from her and downed the contents, wincing before handing back the empty cup. “There, you’re all done. Juice from now on, yeah?” She threw a warning glance at Paul.

“Aww, Ellie Pearce, you’re no fun.” Stacey pouted.

“I know, so they tell me. See you tomorrow, Stace. Paul, you’d better look after her.” The concern in her voice was easy to hear. Paul nodded, but he looked like he wasn’t really paying attention. He was wasted too and wouldn’t be able to protect his girl if there was trouble.

“Maybe we should take them both home?” I suggested, bending close to Ellie’s ear.

Ellie’s eyes widened in shock. “Really? You don’t mind?”

“It’s no problem.” I would rather take them home than leave them here in the state they were in.

Ellie shot me a beaming smile as she looped one arm through Stacey’s and the other through Paul’s. “Come on, Jamie’s going to take you two home.” She led them to the door, ignoring Stacey’s protests about one more dance.

We dropped off Paul first and then drove to Stacey’s place. “So, Jamie, you gonna go make Ellie’s bed rock?” Stacey asked, giggling in the backseat. “Friends with benefits, it’s a great idea. Maybe I should do that with Paul. Then I could go out on dates with other people and still get to use him for his hot body,” she slurred, looking like she was actually considering the thought.

Ellie laughed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but you love Paul, so for you two that wouldn’t really work out.”

“Yeah, but the feeling of first meeting someone, the first kiss, the first date, that’s incredible. You two still get to do that with other people but have dirty, hot sex with each other whenever you want. Hmm … nice,” she mused, closing her eyes and resting her head back, getting comfortable.

When we got to her house, Ellie walked her in, gaining a disapproving look from Stacey’s father as he opened the door when Stacey struggled to get the key in the lock. I watched him give them both a lecture, and I was glad I’d waited in the truck.

“Oops, she’s in deep shit,” Ellie said as she climbed back in my truck.

She directed me to her house. Her street was really nice, the houses were large, and all the front yards were well kept. Her family definitely had some money. That surprised me a little, because she didn’t act like the spoiled little girl that I thought would live in one of these types of houses.

“Stop here,” she instructed, pointing to a big white house.

I pulled up at the curb and jumped out, going around to her side to open her door, still trying to behave like a gentleman. “This is your house?” I whistled appreciatively.

“No, I live next door.” She shook her head and took my hand, leading me to an equally large house with a blue door.

“So why did I park there?” I asked, confused.

“I don’t want my parents to see your car.”

I stopped as we got to her door and leaned in to kiss her. She kissed me back immediately, wrapping her arms around my neck as I pressed her against the door, savoring every last second so I could picture it until I saw her again.

“I’ll call you tomorrow; maybe we could meet up next week?” I asked hopefully.

A frown lined her forehead. “You don’t want to come in?”

“Uh, do you want me to?” I asked incredulously. She smiled and nodded, slipping her key in the door. “But what about your parents? Won’t they be up?” I winced as I imagined her dad coming downstairs and seeing me looking the way I did, covered in fading bruises. That really wasn’t the type of first impression I would want him to have of me.

“They’ll be in bed; so will my sister, Kelsey. It’s fine. If we’re really quiet, I can sneak you in. They leave every Saturday morning at nine to go and visit my nana, so you can just leave after they’ve gone.”

She wants me to stay the night at her house? “Really? You sure?”

“Yeah, but only if you want to. I mean, you don’t have to … I just thought that—” she stuttered, but I cut her off by kissing her fiercely. She giggled against my lips and pulled back. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She turned, unlocking the door and stepping inside, immediately looking around. “All clear. You want a drink or something to eat?” she whispered.

I shook my head and stepped in, closing the door quietly behind me. “I’m fine.”

She grinned and then headed to the stairs, stopping at the bottom to remove her shoes. Following suit, I kicked off my sneakers, grabbing them before silently following her upstairs.

Her bedroom wasn’t how I thought it would be. I’d imagined it to be girlie and pink. Instead, three walls were painted white, and one had black wallpaper. There was a large black leather sleigh bed with black sheets, and even the furniture was black. There was some pink in the room, but it wasn’t the cute baby pink that I’d imagined, it was a hot pink, bright and in your face. On the walls were framed black-and-white prints of Paris and Milan. This room was Ellie all over—surprising, sophisticated, and sexy as hell.

“This wasn’t what I was expecting,” I admitted quietly, taking in all of her room, from her fancy dark wood dressing table with a sewing machine on top, to the thigh-high pile of shopping catalogs piled in the corner, to the hot-pink chair that was covered in sketchbooks and colored fabric swatches.

She smiled and locked her door before switching on her bedside light and closing the drapes. “No? What were you expecting?”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and walked her over to the bed. “I’m not sure, not this, though,” I replied, kissing her softly.

She moaned quietly and kissed me back. I immediately got to work on her clothes, tugging them off, as she did mine. She moved onto the bed and lowered her naked body, looking at me expectantly as she pulled the sheets to the side in invitation. I climbed in eagerly, immediately kissing down her neck and across her breasts and stomach, tracing my fingers over the contours of her body.

“Hmm, I wonder how quiet you can be,” I teased, grinning wickedly as I kissed lower down. She giggled and pulled a pillow over her face as I trailed my tongue over her tummy, dipping it into her bellybutton. The pillow was probably a smart idea; she was a bit of a screamer.





CHAPTER 12


THE FOLLOWING MONTH was easily the best one of my life. Ellie and I continued to see each other casually. We texted back and forth every day and I saw her at least twice a week.

My job was going well at the junkyard, too. The money was more than I had hoped and Connor’s dad even put me on the books so I was legitimate and paying taxes. The best thing was that they didn’t ask for references or anything about my past, just accepted me at face value, so I didn’t even need to lie.

Because I now had a steady income, Ellie and I were going to look around at a few apartments today, so I could finally move out of the craphole I lived in.

When I pulled up outside her house I noticed that her parents’ car was still parked in the driveway; they hadn’t left to visit her nana yet.

I grabbed my phone, dialing her number. “Good morning!” she answered after a couple of rings. The sound of her voice brought a smile to my face.

“Hey, little girl. I’m outside, are you ready or …”

“Oh, you’re early; I just need like ten minutes or something. I’m still eating breakfast.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the truck then.”

“Don’t be silly, come on in,” she scoffed, as if I’d said something stupid.

I chewed on my lip. I’d never met a girl’s parents before, and although we weren’t technically dating, I wanted to date her, so I still needed to make a favorable impression.

“It’s okay, I’ll wait outside until you’re done,” I protested.

She disconnected the call, and I frowned, thinking I’d annoyed her or something by rejecting her offer. Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I looked up in time to see her open the front door. She stood there smiling, leaning against the door frame, looking smokin’ hot in skinny jeans and a gray knit sweater that hung off one shoulder and made her look mouthwatering. Her red hair was loose and fell around her flawless face in messy waves. One of her hands rose and she beckoned with one finger for me to go to her.

“Shit,” I mumbled, climbing out of the truck and heading to her, trying to think of a few subjects I could talk about to charm her parents with. I wasn’t exactly prepared for this moment.

“Hey. Come in, silly boy,” she scolded, taking my hand and practically dragging me inside the house. “I’m hungry, I won’t be long.”

I nodded, and she pulled me through the house toward the kitchen. I knew my way around. We kind of had free rein here on Saturday mornings after her parents left. Over the past month, we’d done many naughty things around her house.

As we walked into the kitchen, I stopped. Her family was sitting around the round wooden table that was nestled in the corner, and all stopped talking to look at me as I walked in. Ellie’s sister’s eyes widened. From what I’d been told, she was ten. She resembled Ellie, but her hair was the same brown as her father’s.

“Guys, this is my friend Jamie Cole. Jamie, these are my parents, Michael and Ruth, and my little sister, Kelsey,” Ellie said, gesturing around the table.

I smiled uncomfortably. “Uh … good morning.”

Her dad stood, holding out a hand to me, smiling warmly. “Hi, Jamie. How’s it going?”

As I shook his offered hand, my shoulders relaxed slightly. He seemed like a nice guy, and from what Ellie had told me, she worshipped her father. Her mother, on the other hand, she wasn’t so fond of. I could see why too; she was looking me over slowly, as if trying to make up her mind whether she wanted to talk to me or not. She had the same red hair as Ellie, and some of her features were also the same, but she was nowhere near as beautiful as her daughter. Her face was hardened, not open and friendly the way Ellie’s always was. She was dressed impeccably, her makeup perfectly applied even though it was barely past nine in the morning.

“Good, thank you, sir. I’m sorry I’m early, I said I’d wait in the car, but …” I flicked my eyes to Ellie in explanation.

“Don’t be silly. And you can call me Michael. You hungry?” he asked, turning to Ellie’s sister without waiting for me to answer. “Kels, get another plate for Jamie.”

Ellie smiled and sat down at the table as the little girl got up and trotted over to the cupboard, coming back with a plate.

I swallowed awkwardly. “Are you sure this is okay? I mean, I could wait—” I started, but her dad cut me off, waving his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine. There’s plenty, right, Ruth?” he assured me, smiling at his wife.

She nodded stiffly in response. “Sure, it’s fine,” she replied politely, her face hard and clearly annoyed.

Ellie patted the seat next to hers, and Kelsey passed me a plate as I sat down. Ellie nodded to the huge pile of bacon and scrambled eggs in the middle of the table. I didn’t really want anything; I was actually too nervous to eat, the food would probably get stuck halfway down and I’d make a complete dick of myself.

“Eat, Jamie!” Ellie instructed, rolling her eyes playfully as she scooped food onto my plate.

“So, where are you kids off to so early?” Michael asked. I noticed he had a big smile for Ellie. If I didn’t already know she was a daddy’s girl, I’d be able to see that just from meeting him now. This guy adored his wife and two girls, that much was obvious.

“Ellie’s going to come and help me scout out a new apartment. Mine’s coming to the end of its lease, and I wanted a second opinion,” I lied smoothly.

He recoiled slightly. “You live on your own? Ellie never mentioned that.”

Ellie squirmed in her seat and I nodded. “Yes, sir, I’ve lived on my own for a while now.”

“Really? Well, how old are you, Jamie?” he asked, his concern clear.

“I’m eighteen, sir.” I smiled reassuringly, showing him that I wasn’t some older guy coming to take advantage of his daughter.

“Oh. It’s a little strange for an eighteen-year-old to live on their own. What do your parents think about it?” he asked, his forehead creasing with a frown as his eyes flicked to Ruth and back to me again.

I shrugged awkwardly, wondering how to reply. Ellie shifted in her chair next to me; she didn’t know the full story, but I’d told her I hadn’t exactly had a happy childhood. I assumed she would draw her own correct conclusions from that. “My father died when I was young, and my mom and I never saw eye to eye,” I replied, watching Michael’s reaction to make sure he wasn’t going to demand I stop seeing his daughter. “I’ve been emancipated for a couple of years now. It’s not ideal, but what can you do?”

He nodded, his eyes still showing caution. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I’m sure it’s not easy.”

I drew in a deep breath and shrugged. “I just get on with it. You can’t help the hand you get dealt.”

Michael’s face seemed to soften at that, and he looked at me almost appreciatively. “Very true,” he agreed. “Life is there to try us,” he added before picking up his knife and fork again and scooping up some eggs.

We were quiet for a minute or so as we ate, but it wasn’t too